


Face The Sky

by wayfindering



Series: Towards The Sun - The First Year [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Angst, But light angst, Friendship, Happy Ending, Internal Conflict, Light Angst, M/M, Multi, RikuRoku - Freeform, Roxas swears, Sea Salt Ice Cream (Kingdom Hearts), Twilight Town (Kingdom Hearts), post-kh3, riku has grown up but sometimes he is still prone to being a ball of angst, rikurokuweek, rikurokuweek2019, roxas deserves to swear, roxas is a smug bastard, takes the kh3 ending at face value, they are friends and it is nice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2019-08-25
Packaged: 2020-09-26 07:03:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20385646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wayfindering/pseuds/wayfindering
Summary: Roxas absolutely refuses to leave Riku alone. Is he that desperate to befriend every single one of them, or does he just like tormenting Riku?





	Face The Sky

**Author's Note:**

> rikuroku week 2019 || day 1 prompt - friendship

Riku stared absently at the blue drips sliding off the edge of his ice cream to the ground several stories below and tried not to appear brooding and emo. He liked to think he was past that time in his life. Most of the time, he was.

Confident, sure of the way forward now. Solidifying his grasp on his newfound strength and learning how to best put it to use. Claiming his place in the balance between light and darkness.

Even with Sora gone who-knew-where, chasing down Kairi's heart, he was holding up fine. Really, he was. He had a new way of life to settle into: Aqua's keyblade program to help reestablish, world order to keep, people who needed him. He was a keyblade master, with everything that entailed. Riku belonged to more than just himself now and that responsibility was fulfilling--it was everything he meant to become.

If only Roxas would leave him alone.

"Hey, Riku! Could you eat any slower?" Think of the devil and he will appear, bearing snark and a disregard for personal space. Roxas's voice behind him was light and clearly meant to tease though it had a perpetual edge he almost never softened anymore. Riku wondered if he ever would.

Except that he _ didn't _ wonder because he really wanted Roxas to go away.

Riku looked up in time to see the other boy situating himself on the ledge less than a foot away, his own ice cream long gone.

The others--Xion, Isa, Olette, and Hayner, today--were still several feet beyond that, tossing jokes back and forth. Their laughter was a welcome enough sound after the war even if it was still surreal for Riku to hear it so freely expressed.

He rolled his eyes at Roxas. "I'm not going to dignify that with a response."

"Yeah? Well, you just did," Roxas said smugly and kicked his right trainer into Riku's left boot.

Riku held back a resigned sigh and looked away. There was too much history between the two of them. History they could better move on from if they kept their distance. It shouldn't be dug up. Xion had stayed away, after all; they knew what was good for them.

He really didn't want to get into it. Everything was settled now: Roxas had his ice cream and his friends and his real life; Riku had his duties and his goals and his freedom. If they tried to be friends, that would all break down. Also, Roxas was an annoying little shit.

Not deterred by simple silence, Roxas nudged Riku's foot again. Riku watched it swing a bit from the blow. "Since when do you mope, Riku? Oh wait, that's always."

Riku blinked. It was disconcerting to hear some of his own words tossed back at him. Especially words he hadn't even said in Roxas's presence. Technically, Roxas had been there, in Sora's heart, but it was still off-putting. Did Roxas even know he was doing it?

"It's not moping," Riku protested, kicking the other's foot back. "It's called being thoughtful."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot. _ Master _ Riku: the wise, thoughtful one. We're so honoured by your presence here today, _ Master _ Riku." He knew Riku hated the official title. "We all aspire to your greatness."

"Says the guy who's avoided taking the Mark of Mastery exam twice now," Riku countered. He lamented how easy it was to fall into banter with Roxas. He could push all the right buttons.

"I was sick, you ass," Roxas said, and laughed. That laughter was one of the few places Riku heard him take that edge out of his voice. It would have been nice if it wasn't a sign that Roxas was pushing friendship on him. He'd rather be content in the knowledge that Roxas was doing okay from afar, and get on with his own life.

"Anyway," Roxas said, "have you even taken a single lick of that ice cream?"

"Well not yet, I--hey!"

Before Riku's reflexes could kick in Roxas had leaned over, snatched the stick of sea-salt ice cream right out of his grip, and taken a huge bite of it. He was staring right at Riku, too, that absolute imp, his too-blue eyes alight with mischief and triumph.

They weren't Sora's eyes. Did Roxas know that? Riku kind of wanted to make sure he did, just in case.

For now, he rolled his own eyes--again--this time unable to stop his lips pursing with half a grin. But he wondered if Roxas was still hung up on having come from Sora or if that was just him projecting how he'd feel in the same situation. Maybe Roxas was stronger than that. Riku would hate to be the one to jinx that strength.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Riku said, holding back the urge to shove Roxas in the shoulder.

Familiarity like that was dangerous territory and he didn't want to give Roxas the wrong idea. The boy was already crossing too many lines. Riku was forgetting not to cross those lines himself. They _ weren't _ friends.

"Don't worry," Roxas answered when he finally swallowed, "I'll just owe you one next time."

_ Next time. _Riku really wasn't sure how to respond so he muttered a noncommittal, "Yeah." and shifted some of his weight to lean on his right hand and into the stonework beside him.

He wasn't sure if the change in the air was noticeable but Roxas seemed content to eat the stolen ice cream in silence regardless, so Riku looked out at the view.

Rays of the perpetually diminishing sun painted the sky in shimmering golds and pinks around him. The sunset was beautiful here, as always. A completely different kind of beautiful than back on Destiny Islands. Riku thought he wouldn't ever get tired of collecting sunsets and sunrises from the worlds he visited. Each was unique--symbolic of the way light interacted with that world--and reminded him how free he was now. Free to see every one of them, and bound to keep them all safe.

Around him, muted noises of the others' discussion filtered over in the stillness but didn't quite form distinguishable words. With nothing else to focus on, questions lined up in his head. Why wouldn't Roxas leave him alone, anyway? Couldn't he take a hint? What did he want?

They'd been enemies, once, regretfully. And with Sora in the picture he supposed they could be considered friend-adjacent, but now they were hanging somewhere between rivals and complete strangers. And that wasn't even the half of it.

Roxas had been Sora's other, though Riku didn't see anything of Sora in Roxas. Nothing, perhaps, save strength of heart. But that road to agency and reclaimed personhood had been a long and bitter one for Roxas. He seemed to have nothing but respect for Sora, even fondness, but hurts like that wouldn't just go away.

In fact, maybe if Sora were here, it would be different. Maybe Riku could forge a friendship with Roxas, take the hand extended, not have to worry so much. Sora was a bridge to so much in life. But as things stood...

Everyone knew Riku missed Sora--that was just a given. Like the mountain missed the wind when it blew out to sea at night, Riku would miss Sora until he came whirling back into his life again. But fickle winds were a force of nature. You might try to chase them down, to follow where they lead you. You might try to build walls against them, or let them go their own way. But you couldn't think of replacing them. He doubted anyone else would realise that.

So it was a disaster waiting to happen, as it stood, even if Roxas himself seemed oblivious. All it would take was one boundary crossed, one overly familiar act, one wrong phrase, and the whole fragile structure would fall down.

No one really understood his relationship to Sora, so Roxas would start to assume Riku was using him as a replacement, seeing him as just another Nobody, just a shadow of Sora to cling to in the other's absence. Roxas would be beside himself, and everyone else would be some mix between angry and pitying. It would be exhausting.

Riku could handle losing Roxas's trust--he shouldn't have it anyway, probably--but he didn't want to think about the pain it would cause Roxas to be dragged through that hell all over again. All those not-so-old traumas brought back to light. Roxas deserved better.

So Riku kept his distance and toed the line; it wasn't as if Roxas needed more friends, anyway. He had more than Riku could keep track of. But Roxas wouldn't give up and couldn't seem to take a hint.

Well, maybe he was like Sora in one way, then. Except that where Sora had boundless, oblivious optimism, Roxas had slyness and prickly stubbornness.

Riku shifted on the ledge restlessly and focused on the sun-warmed brick under his hand, counting off three distinct textures he could feel there. He was never so fidgety; this was all getting to his head.

"Hey, Roxas! Riku!" Olette called from the other end of the clock tower. "We're gonna head back! You guys coming?"

Good. Maybe Riku could salvage the rest of his night.

"You guys go on ahead!" Roxas answered for them both. "We'll be along later!"

Riku hadn't moved yet and didn't bother arguing. They lapsed back into quiet. So Roxas was just going to, what, sit here all night? What did he _ want? _ Why did he feel compelled to invite Riku out with his friends? Was it out of some kind of misplaced pity?

It wasn't a fluke. This was far from the first time. Usually Riku could decline politely but Roxas had started showing up everywhere he went and finally caught him on a free evening with no excuses.

Maybe it was time to have it out. Words didn't help anyone, locked away in his head.

Riku looked over. Roxas was gazing at the sunset, ice cream stick hanging from his lips, seemingly enjoying himself in spite of the company and expectant tension in the air. Riku braced himself and broke the silence.

"You really don't have to invite me out with everyone," he said, direct as usual.

Roxas looked over with an actually _ smug _expression and took the now-empty ice cream stick out of his mouth.

"I know." That was all he said before popping the stick right back in. What a bastard. He chewed on the stick and watched Riku, eyes glinting like he was waiting to see what Riku would do next. This was a _ game _to him?

"Then why do it?" Riku might be taking the bait, but he had to know. Roxas clearly wanted this confrontation.

"Why not?"

Riku contemplated snatching the stick out of Roxas's mouth and throwing it back at his head.

"Roxas, I'm serious. Why do you keep trying to force this? What do you want from me?"

Roxas gave up on chewing and slipped the ice cream stick into his pocket. No more games, then. "Everyone needs friends."

_ Seriously? _"You have at least a dozen already," Riku deadpanned.

"_You _need friends, Riku," Roxas said. His voice was as firm as his gaze, the edge back in both of them. He was as changeable as the weather, and just as dangerous. He swiveled and tucked a leg up on the ledge so he faced Riku. "Don't pretend."

"I _ have _ f--"

"Finish that sentence." Roxas's voice was frosty lightning, striking between one breath and the next.

Roxas's whole demeanor changed in an instant, a sudden storm of intensity. It had been lurking under the surface just waiting for a reason. Riku's breath caught. It wasn't supposed to go like this.

They stared at each other for a moment, tension crackling in the air. They both knew Riku couldn't finish it.

"You don't have friends," Roxas continued. The words stabbed hot knives into Riku's chest even though he'd expected them. For a moment he wasn't sure he could breathe.

"You have a Sora and a girl you haven't spoken more than a handful of words to in years. _ And _ both of them are gone right now. That isn't _ having friends. _"

_ No. _That--that wasn't fair. Why could Roxas get to him? He wasn't open and vulnerable. He didn't wear his heart on his sleeve. But every time they came together it was all sparks and lightning and fury and it was like Roxas could see right through him. Riku reached for something to give him purchase on this suddenly rocky terrain.

"Mickey--"

"Mickey is a fucking king! He's running his kingdom right now. How long has it been since you've so much as talked to him? You don't. Have. Friends. Riku. Why are you lying to yourself? Why are you lying to _ me? _"

Roxas's voice was escalating and the air was practically sizzling with restrained magic. Darkness crackled and hummed under the surface of Riku's skin, waiting to be tapped into.

He snapped his mouth shut with a clack of his teeth and grabbed the ledge tight. His eyes were dry, burning holes in his skull and his left wrist twinged. He clenched his fist harder, using the familiar pain to ground himself. He needed to keep his head. It wasn't helping that he felt fourteen years old again. Angry and sullen. Childish.

He was a keyblade master for Light's sake! Why was Roxas doing this to him? Why was Roxas even capable of it?

"Then why?" Riku bit out, ignoring Roxas's questions. He tried not to sound like the desperate, angry teen he was when they'd fought at Memory's Skyscraper. He thought he was mostly failing. Their raging cores of magic sparking like this, feeding off their emotions, was too familiar. It took him back. "Why do _ you _ want to be my friend?"

"You're worth befriending."

The simple, honest answer startled Riku as much as the matching tone of voice. Roxas's eyes had gone soft and as quickly as it had come, the storm was gone. Riku was left reeling.

Roxas continued, "What I wanna know is, why don't _ you _ want to be befriended? You try so damn hard to avoid it. So I'll make you a deal: if you give me a good reason, I'll leave you alone."

Riku sucked in a breath. A way out. He just had to condense days of tumbling thoughts into a few concise lines after being yanked around through the entire emotional spectrum in ten minutes. He supposed it could be harder.

He organised his thoughts, reined in the darkness, and tempered it back to light. Balance. He needed to speak from a place of balance. Roxas waited, giving him space.

"You don't need me," Riku started, holding Roxas's piercing gaze to make sure he didn't get interrupted again. "It's that simple. There's too much history between us and no matter what I do I'll just be another hurt waiting to happen. You've had more than your share for one lifetime already."

Roxas blinked, looking almost startled. Was he so surprised someone knew about his pain? Riku gave a slight shake of his head and continued, "Your individuality is more precious because your independence was hard won; you deserve to live your life without worrying that someone's just trying to use you to replace Sora."

His words hung in the air between them. The seconds stretched long.

"I see." Roxas nodded slowly and moved to stand up.

Riku let out a soft breath, feeling light-headed. So that was it. He could head back alone and get on with--

Roxas wasn't leaving. He got his balance on the solid floor of the tower, head tilted slightly to the side, and held his hand out to Riku.

"You're an idiot."

Shocked, a sensation hit Riku like liquid warmth curled around itself, spreading out to his limbs. Relief? Affection? He barked out a disbelieving laugh, the tension in the air dissolving.

Roxas _ didn't care. _ Of course Roxas didn't care, the little shit. Had he really gotten Riku all riled up just to dismiss him? In spite of himself, the ropes of anxiety snapped loose from around Riku's chest for the first time in days. Perhaps he shouldn't be this surprised. Not with Roxas of all people.

The damn ice cream stick was back in Roxas's mouth and he uncurled his hand further, waiting. The only thing keeping him from looking as smug as he'd been earlier was the softness that stayed in his eyes.

Riku took the proffered hand and was hauled to his feet, their height difference now distinctly noticeable but their strength equally matched.

"Oh yeah?" Riku asked "And what does that make you?"

Roxas smiled around the stick and nudged his shoulder into Riku's arm as he turned toward the stairs.

"An idiot's friend."


End file.
